South Africa has been voted the second most attractive Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) location in the world for three years in a row, based on its reputation as a reliable, cost effective, and high-quality destination for outsourced business services. The nation’s standing as a key BPO player has been reinforced over the last six months.
Strong operational and service capabilities in the sector are among the reasons that service exports have been identified as an inclusive growth sector in McKinsey’s “South Africa Big Five” report. The BPO sector currently employs over 270,000 people in six cities, 65,000 of whom serve international clients. This total staff base could grow to over 775,000 jobs by 2030, with up to two-thirds of these in the service of overseas markets.
In South Africa, the BPO sector has been a strong performer historically. Leading in the pack of companies is Surgo, a globally recognised Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company which received the Global BPO TA award for the Best Inclusion Initiative Category.
“This award is a great honour for Surgo. The Surgonian culture is built upon inclusion, engagement and equality. Wining this award is validation of our efforts as business to change the norm and give every candidate the opportunity they deserve. It further proves our endeavour for equality in the world of work”, says Rudé Alley Managing Director at Surgo.
The Global BPO TA Awards is the first-ever global awards ceremony that celebrates outstanding talent acquisition teams in the business process outsourcing industry from all over the world.“South Africa is already a diverse country and one has to work really hard to not have a diverse workplace. It requires the recognition of cultural differences to eliminate barriers and build a better connection with a diverse workforce,” says Rudé.
According to the Lloyd’s, diverse companies enjoy 2.3 times higher a cash flow per employee. Gartner found that inclusive teams improved their performance by up to 30% in higher diversity environment, and in a BGC study, companies with a diverse management team has had a 19% increase in revenue compared to the list of its counterparts.
The awards recognize the advancement that the BPO industry has made in the field of recruitment. It is an opportunity to learn and develop as professionals alongside your colleagues, to grow your network, and to draw inspiration from others on how to make your work easier and better.
With Surgo winning this award cements South Africa’s position in the BPO industry as South Africa’s business process outsourcing industry adapted rapidly to the Covid-19 crisis and is expected to almost triple in size by 2030, according to management consulting firm McKinsey.
